Showing posts with label Microsoft/Windows News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft/Windows News. Show all posts

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Microsoft Research–Where News Ideas Develop to Include Solving Big Problems Like the HIV Virus By Working With Email Spam Filters And Kinect

This is pretty wild that some of the same coding techniques that we use to identify spam mail can also be applied to identify HIV virus mutations and this is a great way to use “machine learning” for better research and knowledge.  Today there’s so much code written that you can in fact see what parts or portions of existing queries, etc. are built in and use those for another industry outside of the original design.  Mashable does some good coverage on this and also you have to love the video when you look at how they are working with augmented reality and the race car.

Of course there’s no better device and technology than Kinect that makes a lot of this happen.  In the video they are using the “Beamatron” technology as it is called to control a virtual race car that sees stuff in it’s path and having a virtual toy car as such might put some of the other folks out of business, maybe?  They also continue on to the demonstration of using Power Point in the same fashion.  We all know that Kinect is coming to Windows and developers are hard at work to make more of this happen. It is very interesting to see a million dollar surgical robot working with the $150 Kinect device, link below at what Johns Hopkins was working with. 

Kinect And daVinci Surgical Robot Do Simulated Surgery Suturing Together (Video)





If that isn’t enough you can see another use of Kinect with radiology taking the need to “touch” out of the picture.  Last year I attended the Israel Conference and had quite a bit of time to speak with Microsoft/XBOX Corporate VP Ilan Spillinger and of course he was also very high on medical solutions with Kinect. 



Microsoft Kinect Working with a PACS Server-Images on Steroids Via Gestures (Video)


When you watch the video with the car and passing the virtual “ball” around you get all kinds of ideas on how lighting, or other information could be shared like even in an operating room or the ER for that matter.  BD




24 year Microsoft vet and Microsoft Research General Manager Kevin Schofield told me Microsoft Research is also focused, at least in part, on “solving big problems” like the HIV virus.

Medical Research would seem an odd fit for Microsoft, but the research group is filled with all kinds of experts, including a couple of MDs. One of them is also a computer scientist and became fascinated with how doctors make crucial decisions in high-pressure situations when they have incomplete information (think emergency room visits). This led to work in machine learning (Microsoft Research does a lot of work in this area), which uses what’s known to figure out the unknown. Spam filters work this way. They can look at email and if the word “Viagra” is in it, decide with some degree of certainty that it’s spam. Now, that research is being applied to HIV vaccine research.

The HIV virus is known for its tendency to mutate, which makes it hard for people to develop an immunity. A spam-like filter can find the known in the unknown — in this case the core, recognizable virus.

I asked Schofield, who began his carrier at Microsoft in the OS group, if Microsoft founder and former CEO Bill Gates used the legendary Bell Labs as a model for Microsoft Research. “At a 30,000 foot level,” Schofield said, “Bell Labs was the model, but on the ground it was more Carnegie Mellon.” There are, apparently, two styles of research lab: The Xerox Parc model, where you isolate research from the business and the other model, where you basically have business fund and drive research. Both approaches can hinder tech transfer. The second method, in particular, said Schofield, tends to guide research too strongly so that most of the work is spent delivering product enhancements. Schofield said Microsoft took the middle road.

Like any true research facility, Microsoft Research has its share of duds. I asked Schofield if there was a room where Microsoft Research keeps its failed experiments. “Failures would be a big room,” Schofield said, laughing. But he also counts some of those failures among Microsoft Research’s successes.

http://mashable.com/2012/04/21/microsoft-sexy-peek/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mashable%2Ftech+%28Mashable+%C2%BB+Tech%29#59981Microsoft-Logo-on-Wall

Monday, February 13, 2012

Caradigm–New Name for New Microsoft GE Healthcare Company

This was first announced and as I read it here all items are still somewhat coming together but we have a name now and below was the initial announcement at the end of last year. 

GE, Microsoft to Launch Joint Venture Aimed at Global Healthcare System Transformation

There could be some over lapping areas and with a big merge of technologies that would not be unusual.  Many were not aware of the readmissions manager software that Amalga has. 

Microsoft Readmissions Manager For Amalga-Behavioral Analytics For Clinical Decision Processes (Video)

We also had this announcement with one of the EHR systems from GE so a lot of code involved here and GE brings a lot of hardware and medical devices to the table as well.  

GE Discontinues Centricity Advance EHR for Small Practices

This could have been in the works for a while as way back in April of 2009 this statement came out with GE to integrate Microsoft CRM Dynamics, who knows.  BD 

GE Healthcare Centricity Software to Integrate Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 CRM

REDMOND, Wash., and BARRINGTON, Ill.— Feb. 13, 2012 — General Electric Co. (GE), through its healthcare IT business, and Microsoft Corp. today announced several developments for their planned 50-50 joint venture, including the intention to demonstrate future product capabilities at HIMSS12, the year’s largest healthcare IT trade show, later this month. The new company, to be named Caradigm, is expected to launch in the first half of 2012, pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Caradigm will be aimed at driving a paradigm shift in the delivery of care by enabling health systems and professionals to use real-time, system wide intelligence to improve healthcare quality and the patient experience. Upon formation, the new company will develop and market an open, interoperable technology platform and collaborative clinical applications focused on enabling better population health management to improve outcomes and the economics of health and wellness.

“We have an exciting opportunity to transform healthcare globally with an established open platform and a new generation of applications focused on population health,” Simpson said. “Around the world, delivery system reforms and payment model changes are requiring healthcare providers to integrate data across silos of care delivery to enable better care coordination and performance improvement. We’re founding Caradigm to meet the changing needs of health and healthcare across the globe.”

The two parent companies bring complementary expertise to this new venture and will contribute intellectual property, including the following:

Microsoft Amalga, an enterprise health intelligence platform

Microsoft Vergence, a single sign-on and context management solution

Microsoft expreSSO, an enterprise single sign-on solution

GE Healthcare eHealth, a Health Information Exchange

GE Healthcare Qualibria, a clinical knowledge application environment being developed in cooperation with Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City) and the Mayo Clinic

Microsoft and GE Healthcare are also announcing several Caradigm leaders who will serve under CEO-designate Michael Simpson once the new company is formed. Named leaders are the following:

Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Product Strategy: Dr. Brandon Savage, currently chief medical officer, GE Healthcare IT

Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Engineering: Neal Singh, currently general manager of Microsoft Dynamics AX Global Financial Management

Chief Operating Officer: Nigel Mason, currently director, GE Healthcare Commercial Centre of Excellence

Chief People Officer: Tami Lamp, currently senior HR director, Microsoft

General Counsel and Vice President: Warren Ratliff, currently chief counsel, GE Healthcare IT Knowledge & Connectivity Solutions

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2012/feb12/02-13HIMSPR.mspx

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Microsoft HealthVault Connects to Astra Candelis Cloud Imaging Solutions–Take Your Ultra-Sound Images With You

It was just a couple days ago I wrote about endoscopy imaging for HealthVault and now we can ultrasounds to the list of images you can store in your PHR.  One nice feature is to not have to wait for someone to prepare a DVD of images.  BD 

Multi-Media Data Sharing Comes to HealthVault PHR–Store and Share Your Endoscopic Videos From Physicians

Candelis’ ASTRA cloud-hosted suite of services is providing for the secure transferring of patient digital medical images and studies to patients’ Microsoft HealthVault accounts upon their request. 
Microsoft HealthVault is a personal health application platform that lets consumers gather, store and share health information online. 
These services benefit patients in a number of ways:image

  • Patients can obtain control of, archive and easily access their medical images stored in HealthVault from any Internet connection.
  • Patients will have full control over their data and can grant access to family members or caregivers as they desire. As an example, expectant couples can easily share Ultrasound images of their baby with loved ones.
  • Patients can avoid unnecessary duplicate imaging procedures and associated healthcare costs.

image

The connection of Candelis’ ASTRA Services with the HealthVault platform also benefits healthcare providers in the following ways:

  • Access to past imagery can provide caregivers with more information to help improve patient care
  • Costly CD/DVD publishing and distribution can be eliminated

http://www.candelis.com/products/MHV

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Multi-Media Data Sharing Comes to HealthVault PHR–Store and Share Your Endoscopic Videos From Physicians

Back in August of 2011 Cook Medical announced the endoscope and it’s availability and now with the HD camera it looks like you get some really good graphics with imageendoscopic procedures and have the opportunity to store them in your PHR with HealthVault.  First we had the opportunity for doctors to share and collaborate and now you store your own once your doctors has made the video available.  I have several interviews over the years with Cook Medical who is the largest privately owned device and technology company in the US.  The device for the physician’s side is touch screen. 

Cook Medical Introduces Endoscope With an HD Camera Attached- Portable Imaging System for Urologists

“With high definition video and still-image capture capabilities in a compact, portable setup, endogo HD allows a physician to share and review exam findings imagewith the patient or family immediately following the exam, at the patient’s bedside or in a waiting room. A resident can also share captures with the attending physician, which may reduce the need for repeat procedures. With the endogo HD, OR imaging capabilities can now be available throughout the facility, wherever a procedure is performed. The combination of data acquisition, storage, management and the synchronization of patient folders in an easy-to-use Web application makes it possible to send an image or video over a secured connection to a referring doctor outside the facility.”

If you do not have a HealthVault account, there’s always a permanent link on the Medical Quack to the site to find out more information, as it is right above the quick and easy utility to find clinical trials.

image

HealthVault also has a nice dicom viewer for Windows users and perhaps soon they will develop it for other operating system but you can store your shared dicom images in the Azure cloud with HealthVault as well.  This feature became available last April.  It is kind of surprising today if you end up in an ER room that some of them do not have a viewer on their available computers either.  You can read more at the link below on how the “connection center” works with dicom image storage and it’s not bad at all with pretty good clarity.  BD 

HealthVault Begins Storing Medical Images (Dicom) Using Windows Azure Cloud Services With Full Encryption

Envisionier, the leader in portable endoscopic capture and data integration, today announced the first endoscopic multimedia integration between Microsoft HealthVault and the eGoWorks® application. This connection enables a patient to access, view and share their endoscopic multimedia information stored within HealthVault, an online service for managing personal health information.

With a patient’s permission, surgeons using eGoWorks services will have the option to share medical image exams and associated reports directly with a patient authorized HealthVault account. Patients will generate a secure challenge and password combination that will allow the patient to “pick up” the data and move it into their personal imageHealthVault record.

David Guy, Envisionier’s CEO states, “By connecting with HealthVault, Envisionier seeks to improve the exchange of pertinent medical endoscopic data that has been tethered to legacy video tower systems or EMR systems unable to direct connect. The integration with HealthVault allows the patient to control their medical data ”

“Patients are the clear winners with Envisionier eGoWorks’ new HealthVault connection. Not only can individuals now easily share endoscopic multimedia and reports among members of their care team; they can also be confident that they’ll have access to the information for years to come to better detect trends and changes in their health. We’re excited to have Envisionier as an ally in our journey to empower patients to take charge of their family’s care” stated Sean Nolan, Microsoft Distinguished Engineer.
eGoWorks®’s connection to HealthVault enables electronic movement of data rather than patients transporting records, reducing time and cost associated with redundant exams while additionally creating a longitudinal endoscopic record for the patient to share with primary care physicians and specialists.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/2/prweb9168795.htm

Friday, January 13, 2012

In Car-In Health Monitoring From Ford and Microsoft Announced–Will Need to Remain As An Option And Who Gets the Data and Would It Be Sold At Some Point?

I like all the new technologies but again we need consumer trust to have ideas take off and become beneficial.  If a consumer can be assured that their information is safe and the fact that they are not generating data for additional corporate greed, as much of this information is ending up at hedge funds, social networks and so forth then we could have a winning situation.  Technology and what it can do and where will continue to evolve and present itself, and then it is up to the consumer as to whether or not to buy in.  For someone with chronic conditions to monitor, this could be great, but it still need to be a matter of “choice” and not force fed for profits to sell data.  We see so much of that today and this is one of the reasons that mHealth is having a slow go in many areas. 

Why should a consumer have to contribute via their data to big corporate profits to adapt a healthier lifestyle or why should one be forced as it’s not getting any better for the consumer today with data being sold right and left, and we continue to read about corporate profits based on this fact and we have no transparency of what is really being mined and sold as there’s no real laws that provide a place for public disclosure but rather we have these finely crafted privacy statements that sometimes are very confusing and when you use certain services, you agree in a round about way to release your data, so it’s mixed bag. 

A couple years ago I would have never seen myself making a post like the one below but marketing and selling data today is on steroids, so much to the fact that state servers are slowing down to a crawl with data mining bots and some states have had to put software in to keep the bots out so consumers like you and me can have access, why the sites were created in the first place.  Again, the consumer loses again as corporate greed in one way or another locks us out, give that some thought. 

The Alternative Millionaire’s Tax–License and Tax Big Corporations Who Mine and Sell Taxpayer Data They Get for Free From the Internet-Phase One to Restore Middle Class With Transparency, Disclosure and Money

A good comment made here too is that the companies are not going to try to use such monitoring systems for diagnosis but will remain with monitoring as the FDA would need to become involved if diagnosis were a model here.  If you have not seen the video at the link below, check it out as there are some good examples that show how consumer data is used, and again corporate USA gets all of this for free and makes billions. 

You Are the Product–Privacy Anonymity and Net Neutrality On the Internet - Excellent Stanford University Lecture (Video)

Implementation is important today and I see a lot of bad ones out there, again tossed in the face of a consumer without full explanations of how the entire circles work.  If something like the car was forced upon consumers rather than remaining a choice, then we at some point reach a conclusion of “who wants a car” that’s going to be a vehicle to promote corporate greed and profits?  Of course that would create a whole new market for “old cars” that do not have this built in for the sake of privacy <grin>.  The same can be said for a pen or pencil you use too, will there be cheap monitors there too?  From earlier this year you can read more about biometric monitoring with Ford and Medtronic. 

Ford Adding Biometric Health Monitoring to Cars–And How Long Before the Cars Are Driving Themselves (Video)

There’s also a lot of work with cars that drive themselves too so think about this one if you were to add health monitoring here?  The car could be a bit scary when it comes to the data and who gets it as someone will hold you accountable perhaps at some point with a risk analysis report.  If one were a diabetic could they only get car insurance on vehicles that monitor?  That’s the way as an example that risk assessment works for profit and cherry picking would continue. 

So what’s next, dialysis in the car while one drives:)

Again technology will continue to evolve and how we use and implement is the key to success without giving away “free taxpayer data” for bigger corporate profits and items as such should always be a choice along with transparency and disclosure other than the jumbo we are presented with today.  Our new consumer financial chief’s area of responsibility is going to grow quickly and I hope he understands algorithms, math, deception and has a tiny bit of IT in his background to fully investigate what needs to be done to help protect consumers today, or we do have “The Attack of the Killer Algorithms” in any direction we will turn. 

Richard Corday has his hands full and will need his own group of geeks and engineers to keep up with what corporate USA is doing today and determine when discrimination by algorithm occurs.  The link below contains parts 1 to 7 on my viewpoints on the Killer Algorithms that have teeth and live amongst us.  Information is running on servers 24/7 with no real consumer transparency today and thus I believe this is the ultimate factor that actually created the “Occupy” movement out of sheer frustration as you can’t see, talk or touch those algos that make life changing decisions that affect all of us in split seconds with data and sometimes severely flawed data that we have to chase and correct.  BD 

President Appoints Richard Cordray as New Consumer Financial Protection Chief - Hope He Knows And Understands Correcting Flawed Math and Formulas To Battle the “Financial Attack of Killer Algorithms” On Consumers With Banks and Corporate USA

Ford Motor Co. is building on its in-car health monitoring initiative by teaming with Microsoft and Healthrageous to research how people can monitor their health and promote wellness with connected devices while in their vehicles. The companies are taking advantage of the spotlight at the massive 2012 International CES trade show in Las Vegas this week to show off a prototype called “the car that cares.”

Healthrageous, a Boston-based producer of online and mobile apps for self-management of chronic diseases and preventive health activities, is embedding its “digital coach” technology into the Microsoft-powered Sync communications and entertainment system now common in Ford vehicles.

“Sync will be Ford’s key technology supporting activities in the health and wellness sphere,” Gary Strumolo, manager of “infotainment,” interiors, health and wellness in the Ford Research and Innovation division, said Wednesday at the CES Digital Health Summit.

http://mobihealthnews.com/15797/microsoft-healthrageous-join-ford-to-research-in-car-health-monitoring/

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Contact Lenses Monitoring Blood Sugar Levels Without the Needles–Microsoft Case Study-University of Washington With Natural User Interfaces In Real Time

This look very promising and the technology is pretty fascinating.  In the video you see a couple children who could benefit without the needle stick, and adults for that matter could benefit too.  Similar efforts have been made too with an implant under the skin but if the contact lens could do it all, much more convenient.  image

PositiveID Implantable GlucoChip RFID Technology Continues-Submitted to FDA for 501K Approval

Maybe the CES show was not very exciting, but this make up for it.  This is still work in process but the lenses would work and could send information to an insulin pump, done in real time.  The video is great and explores a few other potential uses of monitors creating information with contact lenses.  BD

Contact Lens–Diabetes Monitor

Millions of people worldwide live with type 1 diabetes, a chronic medical condition that requires constant, daily vigilance to maintain proper health. People who have type 1 diabetes must check their blood sugar (glucose) levels multiple times a day, which can be an unpleasant, painful process. Researchers at the University of Washington are developing a solution that would painlessly monitor glucose levels through tears rather than blood and provide feedback to the patient immediately, should a problem begin to develop.

Diabetes is a potentially devastating disease with no known cure. The pancreas of a person who has type 1 diabetes does not produce insulin. The failure to strike the right balance between food and insulin intake can lead to extreme physiological reactions—from crying jags to loss of consciousness. The long-term effects of uncontrolled blood glucose imbalances can be even more devastating.

Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring

Today, people with type 1 diabetes use needles to prick their fingers multiple times throughout the day, every day, including meal times, to collect blood samples that allow them to monitor and maintain healthy glucose levels, which is critical to reducing the impact that diabetes has on the patient’s health. The never-ending, daily blood draws are not only unpleasant for the person with diabetes, but they also provide limited information.

http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000011273

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kinect for Windows Becoming Available Next Month–Insurer Prayers Have Been Answered With Getting Consumers to Play Games So They Can Collect More Data <Grin>

If you read here often enough you know I have covered quite a few of the Kinect healthcare stories which are great with what has been done with hacking the system, but we do have these insurance companies that want every stick of data they can get their hands on and have put out games for consumers to play to be healthy, well this is just what they were waiting for and Aetna already has their games they have hawked quite a bit recently so will the public play “the Insurance Games”?  I don’t know about you but my healthcare and games don’t quite mix and I’d rather play a real game. 

Aetna To Offer Online Game Social Game For Personal Wellness- Joins Humana As They Have An Online Game Called FamScapeimage

As a matter of fact it would not surprise me to see the games in Best Buy since Aetna is going to begin hawking their software products in some of their stores.  They want your data one way or another.

Best Buy Setting Up to Hawk Software from Aetna For Consumer Wellness–Companies Still Don’t Get the Consumer Involvement Yet With a Vehicle and Creating Value

So which one will come out with a game first?  United had a big presence at CES so maybe they will jump on this bandwagon too?  They get into everything including investing in low income housing and distributing cheap hearing aids from China.

United Healthcare Partners With Mobile Health Tech Firms–Investment for Data? Check Out All Privacy Statements Today Regarding Privacy, What Little is Left for Consumers

One executive from Homeland Security a while back though said sometimes we “dumb down” consumers with items as such too and as I mentioned at the post below, would you see Ben Bernanke playing insurance company games?  I think he’s more interested in money and has his plate full with other items. 

Insurer Software Games Continue to “Dumb Down” Consumers–Would You See Bernanke, the President, CEOs and Other Executives Playing an Online Insurance Game–No, Part of the Focus Of Occupy Wall Street Frustrations

Now for PACS systems and other uses, Kinect has some awesome potential and it has even worked with the daVinci robotic surgery unit.  This is where the real value of Kinect will be for healthcare instead of creating another way to get data to sell.  Here’s some real good articles below.

Microsoft Announces New Kinect Hardware for Windows Coming in Early 2012–Bring It On

Microsoft Kinect Working with a PACS Server-Images on Steroids Via Gestures (Video)
Microsoft Kinect Effect–Sensors Everywhere Including the Hospital OR- Video

Here’s another hot article to check out relating to Kinect and Surface.  Again I do wonder how long it will take insurers to work this into the game=data scenario and how long before we read about it and will they be fighting in court over patenting their games <grin>.  BD 

Windows Phone + Windows7 + Kinect + Surface + Speech Recognition – Wicked Technology and Integration

Healthcare. Microsoft clearly sees Kinect as a hospital and healthcare staple. On ZDNet Health, Denise Amrich noted how Kinect is helping hospitals practice so-called clean techniques. Amrich, an RN, noted that keeping a sterile environment is critical. Kinect is also likely to have surgical applications too. And Kinect is likely to be useful even at the lower end of the healthcare spectrum. The Wii is used in physical therapy. Chances are the Kinect will be too. Also see: Microsoft foresees roles for Surface 2, Xbox, Kinect in healthcare

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/five-industries-for-microsofts-kinect-for-windows/66700

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

President Appoints Richard Cordray as New Consumer Financial Protection Chief - Hope He Knows And Understands Correcting Flawed Math and Formulas To Battle the “Financial Attack of Killer Algorithms” On Consumers With Banks and Corporate USA

Welcome to the world of discrimination by the algorithm….

Nothing will happen until new code runs through those servers as IT Infrastructure runs almost all processes today in business and government.  Below I have summarized the links on the series if you care to take a look at how consumers are being stuck and it all has to do with over indulgence in risk management with little or no levels of forgiveness with data. I don’t like writing this series but it is what it is.  It’s a technological war and few were held accountable for the big mortgage sales and most of all keeping records of who has titles and documents to homes all over the US, they were so anxious to make the big dollars that audit trails were not used! 

However, now the banks and big corporations all want complete “audit” trails on every consumer and run mismatched data for behavioral predictions against all consumers and small businesses. We are screwed. 

California did a good thing with a new law that forbids employers from using a person’s credit score when considering an applicant for a job.  I’m not sure how it will be enforced though, but it’s on the books and anyone could easily call a potential employer on it. People are being denied jobs and places to live due to flawed data as it’s not accurate.  This should be a federal law as well. 

How do you like the fact that even Social Security has 31,000 on their death index who are in fact alive??  All data is not accurate and updated.  CoreLogic has formed a partnership with FICO who is already in the process of selling algorithms with mismatched data which connects public information about you and combines it with your credit score to tell if you as a medical patient will take your prescriptions.  Somebody needs to start calling some of these folks on “mis matched data” that discriminates.

Social Security Master Death Index Data Flawed–Over 31,000 Living Found in the Index

How do we as consumers fight back, start licensing and taxing these folks and have a federal government page of disclosure, what is sold, and to who, and how much are the profits on the sale of this data.  I’m smart enough to know that you can’t create laws to govern how to write algorithms and code but we can sure go for plan B.  Someone needs to enlighten our digital illiterate Congress about this.  Read the article at the red link below and think about that excise tax you pay to put a new tire on your car and this will make sense!

The Alternative Millionaire’s Tax–License and Tax Big Corporations Who Mine and Sell Taxpayer Data They Get for Free From the Internet-Phase One to Restore Middle Class With Transparency, Disclosure and Money

The mining of data is so bad that 3 states had to fight back with more software that blocks automated data mining programs!!  They were not doing it to protect us, but their websites were inundated with mining software coming in for the “free taxpayer data” and slowing the servers down to a crawl.   It gets worse too as some states were selling the data and then charged for updates to the data for new information that was added and the data miners wouldn’t pay a few hundred bucks to update and keep sending out even more “flawed data”. 

The big culprits of flawed data are the companies that compile this information so be wary of what you put out there as well as what can appear via public records and check for accuracy.  I guess breaches someday might come in handy to fix the data <grin>.   Mathematicians know this and some of them read this blog, like this professor.

“Numbers Don’t Lie, But People Do”–Radio Interview from Charles Siefe–Journalists Take Note, He Addresses How Marketing And Bogus Statistics Are Sources of Problems That Mislead the Public & Government

All you have to do is read the news and it’s in front of you every day on how the math and algorithmic formulas are working.  In a Wisconsin town 52 businesses that have never missed a payment are being foreclosed on, and get this, the bank says the church (one of the outstanding loans) does not make enough money.  It comes down to analytics and over done risk assessments.

 

In California Bank of America is putting the pressure on small businesses as well, demanding that loans be paid in full immediately. You can read the article in the Los Angeles Times.

“Bank of America customer Babak Zahabizadeh was told in a letter that the $96,000 debt carried by his Burbank firm, Messengers & Distribution Inc., must be repaid Jan. 25. A loan officer offered multiple alternatives over the phone that imageZahabizadeh called unaffordable, including paying off the debt at 12% interest over two years.”

Caid and her husband, Tim Melchior, a video producer with a Burbank media company, insist they are not in serious financial trouble despite having laid off her eight full-time employees and downsized her business space by two-thirds during the recession, yet Bank of America says her credit line debt of 80k is due in May.

We all understand risk management and how a certain amount is needed but combined with all the data and flawed data that is out there today, the consumer is getting the brunt end with “discrimination by the algorithm”.  Back in August of 2009 I made a post at this blog pondering a Department of Algorithms and hopefully this is what the consumer financial agency will become, as it’s all about the math and lack of accuracy and many flaws today. 

Again, look at the billions of flawed transactions that took place with the mortgage schemes and how nobody keep audit trails but now they want every last tiny detail parameters to judge each and every consumer, even as to how they pay their bills as now credit agencies are “selling” that data for a premium too. I received my Verizon bill and it stated that my information on when I pay my bills could be reported to 3rd parties. 

The thanks we get today is becoming data chasers as consumers to fix all the flawed and corrupted information that has been compiled and used against us.  If everything is ok, then nothing to chase; however, “cookie cutter” employees today are not trained on how to work with flawed data and see everything as a blemish and thus there’s no level of forgiveness and understanding.  If they challenge or ask questions, they might get fired and are told to rely on that computer screen.

Maybe I was ahead of my time, but I’ll leave you with my article from August of 2009 (link below), as folks who write code see the algorithms coming before they hit. 

I sure hope Mr. Cordray knows some math, algorithms and formulas and and at least has a tiny bit of IT experience in his background, we need those “hybrids” in executive positions more than ever.  BD

“Department of Algorithms – Do We Need One of These to Regulate Upcoming Laws?

Occupying Wall Street–It’s All About the “Attack of the Killer Algorithms”–The Unfair and Marketing Exploit of Ethics Using Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie
“Killer Algorithms: Part 2” Disturbing News for Consumers With Credit Scoring Adding New Data Analytics–Some of the Same Methodologies Used by Insurers With Flawed/Potential Erroneous Data–One More Reason to Continue Occupying Wall Street
“Attack of the Killer Algorithms” Part 3–Vatican Doesn’t Like It Either–Occupy Wall Street Belongs in New York As They Don’t Do Code or Algorithms in Washington–Only Find time To Talk Abortions
Attack of the Killer Algorithms-Occupy Wall Street Part 4 Health Insurance Style - One More App For Folks Who Are Tired of Flawed Algorithms That Require A Ton of Work and Research Time To Create “Perfect” Data Files for Insurers And Others Analytics Processes

“Occupy Algorithms”–”The Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 5” - Nothing Will Improve Until Audits and Actions Takes Place To Correct Formulas Built for Profit Only by Corporations And We Battle Back With Math

Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 6–Discrimination With Consumer Credit-Same As Health Insurance Wanting Consumers to Reconstruct Records From Many Years Past As Middle Class Turns Into Data Chasers-Days of Taking Risks to Get Ahead Will Be Limited For Most…Occupy Algorithms

Flawed Data–Mined by Corporations Online Provides Background Checks Riddled With Errors–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 7

Consumers Lose More Privacy With New CoreLogic Credit Reporting–”Score” Marketed For Insurers and Employers To Gain Information-California Prohibits Potential Employers – From Using As Jan 1 - Killer Algorithms Part 8

Freddie Mac Found to be Betting Against Home Owners Being Able to Refinance - “Attack of the Killer Algorithms” On Consumers Part Nine–Home Mortgage Style

Komen Reverses Decision With Planned Parenthood–Hard Lesson on How Business Analytics Are Misunderstood And/Or Abused–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 10


Gamification–You Have Won and Now We Know All About You - It Didn’t Cost One Cent-Insurance Companies Have Games To Find Out More About You Too– “Attack of Killer Algorithms” Chapter 11


Colonoscopies–The Bait and Switch on Screenings–If Polyps Are Found You Get A Bill-Some Other Screenings Too–Killer Algorithms Part 12–Medical Billing Codes Style

Attack of the Killer Algorithms Part 13–Bank of America Style - Flawed Data With Credit Scoring Agencies–Dead Man Banking And Currently A Consumer Under Attack

Insurers to Provide User Friendly Summaries of What’s Covered–Good Luck As Constant Revisions Will Be Required as Business Intelligence Algorithms For Profit Change–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 14

Story of Duke University - The Sad Case of Flawed Data Published in Medical Journals That Was Declared Inaccurate 60 Minutes –Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 15

Medicare Low Safety Rankings At Harvard Teaching Hospitals Disputed and Flawed–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 16

Start Licensing and Taxing the Data Sellers of the Internet Making Billions of Profit Dollars Mining “Free Taxpayer Data”–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 17 - “Occupy Algorithms”– Help Stop Inequality in the US

Pharmacies File Suit Against Texas Human and Health Services Commission - Managed Care Contracts Begin Delegating Reimbursements Too Soon – Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 18

AMA Announces Doctors And Patients Can Expect To See the UnitedHealthCare/Ingenix Class Action Settlement Checks In the Mail Soon - Out of Network Short Payments–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 19

Healthcare Blogger Gets Spammed by Hedge Fund Using Internet “Reputation Restore” With Some Really Bad Algos–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 20

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — President Obama touched off a fierce election-year confrontation with Congressional Republicans on Wednesday, defying their deep opposition to appoint Richard Cordray as director of a new consumer protection agency and fill three labor board vacancies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/us/politics/richard-cordray-named-consumer-chief-in-recess-appointment.html?_r=1

Monday, December 19, 2011

HealthVault Free Mobile App For Windows Phone Is Out from the Zune Store To Download & Got My Ducks Updated

This is pretty neat and loaded it up on my phone and off I go.  It’s pretty straight forward and works fine.  I didn’t have a lot of time to go through all of the screens yet but will do later one.  image

The screens are very similar to what you see on the computer just smaller and if you are used to mobile apps already, then you will get it.  It was very simple to sign in and so forth.  I have my mother on the account and all her information is available for me as well and actually she has more in there than I do.  Just yesterday I posted about a new MIT program that uses a $2.00 piece of hardware that uses the same bar code technology that phones use to scan too, so a lot going with smart phones today.  I might guess in time this might be something to incorporate into HealthVault too.

EyeNetra–Eye Exams in the Palm of Your Hand With a Smart Phone Using Similar Optical Technology as With Bar Codes–Video

image

I found this other little application while connected where I can watch moles and take pictures so I’m using version which allows only one individual and 3 pictures to see if I like it.  I don’t have ton of moles so will check this out.  I looked through the other apps and again there’s tons of them that do “one thing” and most I don’t feel are worth the time and effort.  HealthVault will have the information from connected devices available so again with doing more than one thing I see some value here.  So how many moles have you seen on a duck?  Maybe I need a feather chaser <grin>. 

image

And after the healthcare stuff, time for me to check out some ducks so one more duck hunter game, and yes my ring tone is a quack and I wanted to also see what “what’s up with the drunk ducks” too. 

image               image

Last but not least, have to load up my favorite browser, “DUCKDUCKGO”.  You can figure out why I like this one.  Actually is is not bad and is private so right up my ally there with private browsing.  I use it on my main computers too and will be checking out the phone version.  What a Quack I can be at times and the having the current state of affairs on a duck’s health seems to be right up my alley.  BD 

image

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/familyhealthguy/archive/2011/12/15/healthvault-now-fun-size.aspx

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Microsoft Office Now Complies With HIPAA Standards Using the Office 365 Trust Center in the US and the UK For Privacy & Security

This is a big deal as email correspondence has been a huge topic for years with security and ensuring privacy.  For my own use I have parked my own domain of imageducknet. net over at Microsoft and as a “Live” or “Hotmail” user you get the same antiviral protection that they sell to the enterprise.  I remember when they purchased Forefront and attended a few local seminars here in the OC and it has come a long way since then.  In the past I have also recommended the Small Business accounts which has now been evolved into Office 365. 

Again, individual configurations in the cloud with Office 365 are best created with the IT or IS departments but knowing that the HIPAA compliance is there is a huge step forward.  I like the fact that I have choices too with coordinating the cloud with my own familiar desktop Office software too, been doing that for a couple years now.  A while back I spoke with Chris Sullivan at Microsoft on how Office helps the small physician practice so now with HIPAA compliance it seems like the solution has even grown to create even more value.  BD 

Microsoft Talks About Healthcare Provider Solutions – Interview With US Director Chris Sullivan

Microsoft also announced the availability of the Office 365 Trust Center. The site provides in-depth information about the privacy and security practices for Office 365 and was recently redesigned to be more accessible and easy to understand. The new site can be accessed at http://trust.office365.com.image

Today, Office 365 can help hospitals, insurers and clinics confidently empower their staff to be efficient and productive virtually anytime and almost anywhere while substantially reducing their IT operating costs.”

That is, until now. Today, we are excited to announce that Microsoft is helping remove that barrier by embedding privacy and security capabilities in Office 365, our next-generation cloud productivity service. This means that Office 365 is now a cloud-based platform that complies with leading information privacy and security standards for customers operating in the United States and European Union. As part of its contractual commitment to customers, Microsoft will now sign business associate agreements under the U.S.-mandated Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Why is this such a monumental step in our commitment to the health industry?  Because communication and collaboration is the lifeblood of the health industry and Office 365 makes it easier for people and teams to be efficient and productive anytime and anywhere.  By embedding HIPAA privacy and security capabilities in Office 365, Microsoft is enabling health organizations to confidently empower their staff to communicate and collaborate anytime, anywhere and substantially lower their IT operating costs.

As the first major cloud-based productivity service to obtain certification under ISO/IEC 27001, a rigorous information security management benchmark, Microsoft submits to a yearly audit of its information security policy by an independent expert and shares the results with its customers. Additionally, Microsoft has developed its online services to provide physical, administrative and technical safeguards that facilitate full compliance with HIPAA requirements.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2011/12/14/microsoft-office-365-cloud-based-productivity-service-complies-with-hipaa-standards-for-data-protection-and-security.aspx

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Microsoft Tag (Bar Codes) Adds QR and NFC Capabilities - So Let’s Move on the FDA for Recalls- OTC, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices..The Vehicle to Drive mHealth

If you read here enough then you have seen my two links at the top of the page with my campaign for this to be done.  Its not just up to the FDA but rather the drug and device manufacturers have to play in here too so the FDA could have a synchronized data base and it would be much easier internally to monitor for compliance as well.  Now it looks like with today’s announcement, with Tag you can also create both QR and NFC Codes.  This is a good deal with not having to keep several programs on your phone to read various codes. 

You can always find the bar code for the Medical Quack here at any time too.  For about 3 years or so now I have posted several articles on mHealth use and I don’t know how may meetings, committees, etc. that all have struggled with to get the consumer into mHealth.  You need a vehicle that shows value for the consumer and this is it.  It’s like buying Windows and then deciding later you want to buy Office and so on.  The folks trying to get consumer involvement now in mHealth just don’t get it and keep working on this “force feed” method of making folks feel bad if they don’t participate which as not as successful as showing value and getting participation because they want to and see value. 

I can’t begin to talk about all the money that is spent and yes the conferences are good and give out a lot of good information and there are many devices that do great things, but if you want the consumer to buy in, you need immediate value and again millions are spent trying to entice the consumer.  It gets worse yet though as a lot of the folks that sell the software and devices (consumer apps) don’t use it themselves but are a bit of a bunch of magpies hanging around out there who like to hear themselves talk and are non participants.  Consumers see through that and know it’s someone else telling them what is “good” for them while they don’t have time to do the same themselves.  image

Microsoft Tag Bar Codes–Who’s Been Scanning the Medical Quack–The Bing Heat Map Tells All And Could Help Find Stolen or Expired Drugs and Devices With This Methodology

This is great now that one program can do it all.  These bar codes also connect with HealthVault too, so again you would think the mHealth folks would wake up and join this tiny campaign I have going here to push this along as it would make their jobs easier with getting more consumers on board instead of too many software programs that only do “one thing”. 

image image

This whole idea can save lives too, read below on a device that missed being pulled imageand a patient died when it malfunctioned, enough said for the need for the FDA recalls with bar codes to get started and now with QR codes, there’s more options too! 

You can also see my sponsor’s magazine, and I do their website as well has barcodes on the cover too:)  You can read the most current issue and visit the website here if you want to know more about biotech and gold and silver mining here.  There’s quite a few biotech articles and one in particular I found of interest were the “generic medical” devices that are FDA approved and made here in the US, look up Internal Fixation on the site here. 

At the link below you can read my interview with the Milwaukee Journal newspaper on the topic who also thinks this is a hot idea too.  BD

Recalled Wipes From Triad Still Out There in Consumer Medicine Cabinets and Possibly At Some Retail Locations-Manufacturers and FDA Need To Do A Better Job-Bar Codes

Micro-Cap FDA Recalls Never End

To help simplify the growing fragmentation currently taking place in the barcode/reader market, today Microsoft Tag is providing support for the two commonly used 2D barcode formats (Tag and QR Codes) and for Near Field Communications (NFC) capabilities. With this extension, brands have the freedom to choose the format most appropriate for their campaigns and give consumers the ease of one reader to use.

We’ve already seen a lot of enthusiasm for these Tag updates among leading media and marketing companies like Meredith. “One of the strategic reasons we standardized on Tag was to unify the 2D barcode experience for the audience of 80 million women who consume our content,” said Liz Schimel, EVP/Chief Digital Officer, Meredith. “Microsoft Tag gives us the creative freedom to match the right recognition technology to the appropriate mobile experience, and erases customer confusion about which app is needed to launch that experience.”

http://tag.microsoft.com/community/blog/t/microsoft_tag_announces_one-stop-shop_for_marketers_tag_qr_and_nfc.aspx

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Microsoft Announces New Kinect Hardware for Windows Coming in Early 2012–Bring It On

This makes absolute sense to have it computer ready as they could break more records and at the same time will keep the PC market alive and well.  This would also make it easier for developers to work on software that will work with Kinect too, i.e. medical records, PACS systems and more.  There has already been a number of hacks that have taken the $150 device and even made help a million dollar surgical robot with outlining “do not enter” areas during surgery. 

Kinect And daVinci Surgical Robot Do Simulated Surgery Suturing Together (Video)

daVinci and Kinect
Microsoft Kinect Working with a PACS Server-Images on Steroids Via Gestures (Video)

More details on the Kinect Accelerator can be found here.  Developers must be prepared to relocate to Seattle if they are chosen to be funded and applications are taken until the end of January 2012.   BD

Microsoft Kinect Effect–Sensors Everywhere Including the Hospital OR- Video

“Every company participating in the Kinect Accelerator will receive an investment of $20,000, an Xbox development kit, the Windows Kinect SDK, office space, all the resources of BizSpark, technical training and support, and mentorship from entrepreneurs, investors and Microsoft executives intensely focused on making their business a success. At the end of the program, each company will have an opportunity to present at an Investor Demo Day to angel investors, venture capitalists, Microsoft executives, media and industry influentials”

So I am guessing along with whatever software Microsoft produces in house we might have some starter company offerings pretty quickly as well.  BD

Microsoft today announced that its preparing a new Kinect hardware specially designed to connect with PC’ and its coming in early 2012. This is a great news for the PC world which expands the possibilities. Here is the announcement from Kinect for Windows Blog,

Since announcing a few weeks ago that the Kinect for Windows commercial program will launch in early 2012, we’ve been asked whether there will also be new Kinect hardware especially for Windows. The answer is yes; building on the existing Kinect for Xbox 360 device, we have optimized certain hardware components and made firmware adjustments which better enable PC-centric scenarios. Coupled with the numerous upgrades and improvements our team is making to the Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime, the new hardware delivers features and functionality that Windows developers and Microsoft customers have been asking for.

http://microsoft-news.com/microsoft-new-kinect-hardware-for-windows-coming/

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